Worked at a summer resort, in Maine, waaaaaaaaaaay back when, one summer.

They had a nine hole golf course that was built, when the resort was, back in the twenties (that's nineteen twenties).

Mowing the course and taking care of the haylage for their riding stables ... they still used some old Farmall utility tractor. It had a crank (we'd jury-rigged an electric starter on the F-20) which was the only methodology for starting it.

Crank only on the pull, never on the down.

Even without your thumb being wrapped around the crank, you could still break an arm.

After witnessing an F-20 backfire on start ... I did not need to be told twice to not rev it around.

Interesting point ... on that "resort" (term used loosely), it almost took you back to the twenties. They didn't bale the hay, they put it up loose. That was a novel experience.